Siao Shi sat beside Chu Li and remained silent. She was gentle and quiet.
Han Fei smiled and said, “Brother Chu, you have such a beautiful madam with you. You shouldn’t be on the river. You’re more suitable to be with the bureaucracy.”
Chu Li replied, “The bureaucracy is quite a bumpy road too.”
“That’s true,” Han Fei held his white jade cup up and shook his head as he sighed, “The world really doesn’t give any means of subsistence for the people! Brother Chu, let us just talk about love affairs. We shouldn’t talk about all these matters that upset us!”
“It’s really quite upsetting,” Chu Li raised his cup as he smiled. Both of them downed their drinks again.
“Young Master!” A beautiful maid suddenly pointed towards their opposite direction.
A big boat sailed out of the morning mist and headed towards them aggressively. In a blink of an eye, they arrived before their boat. Zou Shaohe was standing right at the bow of the boat.
His chubby face showed a sneering look. He crossed his arms and stared at Han Fei. Behind him were twelve big men, each of them had sharp looks and held a long knife.
“You with the surname Han. You’re really foolhardy!” Zou Shaohe shouted loudly like a clap of a thunder.
Han Fei glanced at him leisurely, “You’re back to bring contempt upon yourself. I feel bad for Zou Dajiang to have met an idiot like you!”
“You’re the idiot! You with the surname Han, who gave you such courage to act imposingly on our territory? This is not the Jiang Chuan Alliance!” Zou Shaohe shouted again, “If you get the picture, you better behave well and admit your mistake. Apologize to us and kowtow to me, and present those four lassies to me, oh, and this young lady too, then I will spare your pathetic life. If you’re insensible, then you will all perish here! Don’t worry, I will adore and take good care of those five young ladies. Haha! Haha!”
He became prouder as he said that and broke into a big laugh that shook the Earth.
It was an early morning and there were only a few boats traveling on the river. When they heard the laughing sound, they sailed further away from it to avoid getting into any trouble.
Han Fei shook his head and could not help but laughed and turned to look at Chu Li, “Brother Chu, now you see it – this is the River Alliance. They’re known for producing idiots like him!”
Chu Li laughed and said, “Brother Han, be wary, he’s well-prepared this time.”
“You’re being too cautious, Brother Chu,” Han Fei laughed and said, “The powers of the River Alliance are very sloppy and normal. They only rely on the officials all the time!”
When Zou Shaohe saw that Han Fei and Chu Li were conversing with each other happily and did not seem to be seeing him as a threat at all, he was boiling with a killing intent. He shouted loudly, “All right, since you’re being insensible, don’t blame me for being merciless. Charge! Make sure none of the men lives!”
Although the two boats were a hundred feet apart, the twelve big men leapt into the air at once.
On the other hand, the four beautiful maids scoffed softly, then took out their lancets respectively.
“Tss tss tss tss!” Their shots with their lancets were fast and accurate, which forced the men to wield their long knives in order to defend themselves.
Although the maids looked gentle and soft as if they were all fragile and delicate, they were all Innate Masters.
Among the twelve men, two of them were Innate and the rest were Acquired.
They looked aggressive and had ferocious looks but when the lancets were fired at them, they all ended in discomposure. Some got hit while the rest were unable to continue.
Out of the twelve men who attacked, only two of them managed to board the big boat.
In an instant, the four ladies surrounded them. Eight sleek hands looked delicate and exquisite, but when they hit the men’s knife, they broke away the powers of their knives. It was as if an iron hammer hit their knives.
The ladies had gentle and flexible moves. When they flapped their hands, it was like butterflies flying and their boundless palm shadows completely shrouded over the two men.
The two men were one against two – they wielded their knives into two clusters of light to defend themselves tightly and seek not to distinguish themselves but only hoped to avoid any mistake. Even then, they could not defend against the flapping hands. In a flash, two sleek palms passed through the lights of their knives and hit right in their chest.
“Bam! Bam!” Both of them flew out of the boat and fell into the river.
Han Fei laughed in joy and shook his head, “Zou Shaohe, grow some brains. You’ve just embarrassed the entire River Alliance!”
“Very well, very well!” Zou Shaohe stared at him ferociously, “In the territory of our River Alliance, how dare you be so savage? If I don’t settle you, I’m not a part of the Zou family!”
Han Fei shook his head, “Whether you’re a part of the Zou family or not, your mother would know!”
Zou Shaohe immediately turned red and looked as if he was about to eat Han Fei, “You with the surname Han, when your death is close, I will cut you up piece by piece!”
Han Fei waved his hand, “I have no time for all your nonsense. Get lost or I’ll chop your smelly head off and make it into a flagon!”
“Very well, wait for me!” Zou Shaohe’s heart skipped. He waved his hand angrily and shouted,
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
In no time, the big boat disappeared from their view again.
Chu Li laughed, “Brother Han, you’ve beaten up the young one. I’m afraid the older one will appear next.”
“What if it’s the older one?” Han Fei held his white jade cup up, “Come, come, let us drink! Whether they’re older or younger, they’re all from the same mold; there’s no need to bother about it!”
Chu Li drank another cup of drink.
Han Fei continued, “Brother Chu, speaking of the House of High Dukes, there’s an important figure who has a name same as yours, Brother Chu.”
Chu Li laughed, “I’m nothing close to being an important person.”
Han Fei swung his cup then quickly asked, “It can’t be you, Brother Chu? Chief Chu?”
Chu Li smiled and nodded.
Han Fei slapped his forehead and could not help but laughed as he shook his head, “Look at the way I’m looking! Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t recognize you!”
Chu Li laughed, “I’m just working for someone else too. It’s nothing compared to you Brother Han, free and unrestrained, not tied to a string!”
Han Fei did not change his attitude. He was still speaking at ease and he laughed in joy, “That’s only because it looks pretty on the outside. Being a young alliance leader is not such a great thing. My superior leaders control too much. They restrict me from doing countless things, I’m only taking advantage of my trip to Chong Ming Town this time to relax and enjoy a few days!”
“I have no rest days at all,” Chu Li laughed, “Brother Han, you can’t be really going to the New Moon Brothel, are you?”
“Sigh…” Han Fei shook his head and glanced at the four beautiful maids.
They lowered their heads and remained quiet.
Chu Li raised his brows.
Han Fei said, “Brother Chu, to be honest, I’m going to visit my in-laws.”
“Brother Han, you’re married?” Chu Li was shocked.
“Very soon,” Han Fei smiled bitterly, “It’s a marriage that has been set since I was young. I’ll be married next year.”
Chu Li laughed out loud.
He was such a free man. He wouldn’t hope to have a wife to control him. Once there would be a madam, the four beautiful maids would be in trouble and suffer as well. How could an amorous man like him be able to bear that?
“Brother Chu, I ridiculed myself,” Han Fei shook his head and sighed, “I would really like to reject the marriage. Unfortunately, I can’t mess with them. My father-in-law is the imperial inspector of Chong Ming Town.”
The imperial inspector Mister Jiang?” Chu Li laughed and said, “I heard that Lady Jiang is a beauty and has a good character. You should be happy, Brother Han!”
“Sigh…” Han Fei shook his head, “It’s a long story!”
He held up his white jade cup and drained all the wine from it.
Chu Li drank from his cup as well.
Han Fei put his white jade cup down and sighed, “In short, when I arrive at Chong Ming Town, I must go to the New Moon Brothel first.”
“Brother Han, are you looking to break off the engagement?” Chu Li frowned and shook his head, “Mister Jiang is an upright man, Brother Han. Your idea won’t work even if you’re a man of no good, Mister Jiang will still let her daughter marry you. He will certainly not break his promise!”
“If that’s the case, Brother Chu, do you have any idea?” Han Fei asked quickly, he wanted to try anyone or anything at such a desperate time.
Chu Li thought for a while, “I’ve heard that Lady Jiang has a gentle and soft character. She will be a good wife. Why do you want to break off the engagement so badly, Brother Han?”
Han Fei shook his head helplessly.
Chu Li continued, “Unless, you have a lover, Brother Han?”
“Yes,” Han Fei nodded, “I will not lie to you, if I really marry her, I’ll feel very sorry for her.”
Siao Shi scoffed as she was sitting aside.
Chu Li gave a sidelong glance at her.
Siao Shi’s clear eyes moved and rolled at him.
Han Fei raised both his brows. He had eyes better than the others. He knew that something was off by just looking at the both of them.